New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-17
LYNCH LAW

FHF VIGILANCE COMMITTEE IN CALIFORNIA
az TIE 1Ac Horn 2r yeme
xxxI Popular rribunsls Vol L syo:. Pr XII,
7le San francisco; The History company tr rsaf
for tho Eastern States
IN tha course of hrs researches into the history Of
sbs Pacific States. Mr.. BANCROFT was necessarily
brought In contact with much unedited matter
relating to and throwing new light spon the
DEVELOPMENT and operation Of that substitute for
more regularly established criminal administration
known as Lynch Law. The Vigilance Committee
was indeed part and parcel Of the progress OF tie
Pacific States and Territories, and while there can
be no doubt that IL often led to great abuses 1t IN
not Iess certain that 1t was an heroic remedy TO-
far more wasting disease. Mr. Bancroft, however
has here performed an important service in demon
stratine clearly that no loose generalization con-
corning Vigilance Committees can cover their char
actor and tendencies, Inas1uch as there wefe
almost as many kinds Of these organizations as
there are varieties Of men,
Undoubtedly the San Francisco Vigilance Com
mittees of 1851 aud 1855 exhibit the principle as
its bssr, and yet there were broad Distinctions
between these two organizations That Oh 1901
was the first determined protest of the strongest
elements of the community against the anarchy
which had been introduced by the criminal
classes The common and often just reproof that II
the abiding citizens did their duty no necessity
for Lynch law could arise, applies With less force
than usual in this instance The period was one in
which the profits of commerce were very large
while the enouments Of office were trivial lis re-
sponsibilties nebulous. and its attain mept DIM
cult The ability Of the community was absorbed
In business. Theoretically. of coarse, this was
wrong. No doubt the best men ougbt to have given
Cd their prospects of speedy wealth and devoted
themselves to tho public interests As fact SUN
sacrifices have always been rare even In settled
communities. To expect them in California, every
emigrant to which bad been drawn by the energy
of acau,sityeness would be less than rational.
Hero in New-YOrk. whore thousands OF men possess
leisure and MEANS the difficulty OF obtaining the
public services of the ablest citizens continues to
battle the most earnest reformers. On the Pacific
Coast. where gold dazzled every eye; whore for
tune secmed at every mans foot; where the days
were too short for the dispatch of the fabulousiy
profitable transactions which offered at every
turn the chronic problem Of efficient administra-
tion inevitably became more insoube than ever
. The results were In An intensified form precisely
what they ha 80 been again and again since In nearly
avery great American city. The lawless element
and the saloons combined naturally, and while the
better citizens were making money the thieves
seized the political machinery, nuliied the admin
istratiyo branch, corrupted the judicial and then
went about the qualification of their vcions ineli-
nstions with q confidence which showed now
thorou xhly they had baed the OF society
and an abandon which aggravated the effect OF
their outrages They organized, adopted the generic
title of The Hounds and worried San Francisco
Their auiscty was justified, for the judiciary ana
the police were with them, and more than one city
official was the regular pal" OF Sydney conviots
and criminals of profess onal standing The hofnds
would enter stores in davfaht, select what goods
they fancei, ard 60 without paying. They made
daily requisitiohs upon restaurants and hetes ior
their subsistcuee They united burgaries and
murders with systematic deliberation They hnaiiy
ias is believed though perhaps not proved set ire
10 San Francisco once twice, three times. with
the result of destroying several million dollar''
worth of property and incidentally burning to
death some twenty persona After the third fire,
the business men began to comprehend that even
che most seductive commercial opportunities would
preye but Dead Sea apples if the prevailing con-
dttions were allowed to continue. Then the hour
was ri no for the organization of the first Vigilance
Committee aud the work was done accordingly.
The business men proceeded In = business way.
Being mostly Americans they were courageous and
self-con tanned They lost no time discussing tue
possible danger of their movement Ihey nad
undertaken to put dowa Haunting crime and es-
tabsh order, and they going to do Ii, no mat
ter Who objected or resisted In q very short time
they had practical system in operation; head
Quarters always open and attended by ready
of1icers an engine house bell upon which to strike
their signals for assembly; an executive committee
charged with the discovery of crime; general
committee whose duty 1t was to furnish the Tight
ing aad moral strength of the organization 1t
went ike clockwork from the beginning. daring
robbery was committed the second day OF the
committee's existence. The thief was taken, con-
yeyed to head quar- tors, solemnly and punctlously
tried BY q Jury of twelve mon, found guilty, and
hanged publicly In the sight OF the Hounds and
their victims OF course there was talk of ven
qeance and Of ant.vigllance uprisings but nothing
came of it. The Vigilance Committee continued to
act, swiftly, silently. relentlessly. The criminals
were classified, warned to leave the city, and II
recaleitrant, deported firmly. Vessels bringing
convicts from Australia were not allowed to land
them and were compelled 70 take them back. The
worst crimes were punished by hanging Some
times arrested criminals did public service by max
inc confessions 1t was thus that the completely Of
officials and policemen with burglars and thieves
was discovered. No injustice was done. No abuse
of pswer was committed. The Vigilance Commit
tee purged the community Of it's worst elements.
md whom law and order bad been restored ii passed
out Of sight.
Not that it ever was q secret society Tie first
members to the number of some two hundred did
not hesitate to publish their pames in the journals
of the day, at the foot of the constitution which
they had adopted. Necessarily tho criminal admin
istrstion of the committee was yelled Ia mystery,
but il is a significant fact that its arrests wer1
never resisted. and that mono of its best known
members ever suffered the vengeance 90 often and
freely prophesedsbY tho:punshed rasea's and tbeii
friends In the present volume, Mr.. Bancroft gives
fnll history Of tho first Vigilance Committee and
that of the committee of 1856 will appear in tne
oext. no doubt Tho second committee was thought
by the members of the first to be too tender with
the criminal element but is accomplished its pur'
poes apparently ~ completely ~ its predecessor
~ how9yer present